Core Graphics bindings on 64-bit Python in Snow Leopard

The SWIG-based Python CGBindings originally shipped with Mac OS X 10.3, which bundled Python 2.3. Since that time, these bindings — specific to the system’s bundled framework build of Python — had allowed access to Core Graphics objects and commands from within scripts.

They were one of the reasons I decided to use Python in the first place. I thought they would be fun to learn and use, particularly with the then-new PDF Services feature of Mac OS X. The Core Graphics bindings also provided much, much more power than the command line sips tool and had an advantage over other alternatives by being bundled with the operating system. I thought they offered the possibility of growing with Mac OS X’s graphics hardware acceleration. I even [Bad link], a task where I’d previously employed Ambrosia’s [Bad link].

Here’s an example of what you’ll see on Snow Leopard if you try to “import CoreGraphics” in 64-bit Python:

While the CGBindings are still available to 32-bit Python in Snow Leopard, you must use PyObjC to replace their functionality for 64-bit Python. Since 64-bit Python is the default in Snow Leopard, it makes sense to transition from the bindings to PyObjC as soon as possible. This means there is some porting work for scripts that used the Core Graphics bindings. I guess I’m glad I didn’t do as much with them as I’d planned.

I see this change as something of a loss. (Is this what Carbon developers are experiencing? Hm.) The Core Graphics bindings were relatively easy to use and felt reasonably Pythonic, even if the documentation was almost nonexistent. PyObjC feels more foreign to me when I attempt to use it — even though it’s clearly the future.